2024-01-13 18:08:14
The Oilers came to Montreal with the wind in their sails. With nine consecutive victories, they have put themselves back in the Western Conference playoff picture. Moreover, a victory once morest the Canadian would allow them to register a team mark.
Let’s say that in mid-November, when the team had a 3-9-1 record, there were several scratching their heads.
This unacceptable performance for a team brimming with so much talent earned the head coach, Jay Woodcroft, and his assistant, Dave Manson, the door. Since then, it’s been running at full throttle. Under Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers are 19-6-0.
Getty Images via AFP
“We now have confidence in ourselves. And we trust each other. Before, we doubted our teammate. We feared that our teammate would not do his job, so we cheated to do it, said Vincent Desharnais, to explain this turnaround. Now, whether we lose 2-0 or lead 2-0, we play the same way.”
It’s still a strange situation considering that the Oilers didn’t make any major changes to their roster during the off-season.
“We were experiencing a lot of frustration because, even though we knew it wasn’t working, we didn’t have an answer. However, we worked hard and the chemistry was good off the ice, indicated the defenseman from Laval. But on the ice, we got angry with each other.”
Calm and composed
Desharnais maintains that the change of coaches had beneficial effects on this somewhat toxic atmosphere. The fact that Knoblauch and Paul Coffey, hired as assistant, displayed a calmer temperament led everyone to calm down their hormones.
“He also brought a lot of positivity to the team environment. He gave us confidence once more. He told us to calm down, that we were going to make the playoffs. That we had to approach the matches one at a time. It was good for everyone.”
However, the Quebec defender refuses to blame their predecessors.
“After the dismissal, we had a team meeting. We spoke face to face. We said to ourselves that it wasn’t anyone’s fault other than the 23 players in the locker room. Neither the fault of the coach, nor that of the general manager, nor that of the goalkeepers. We had to find a solution together.”
“Jay and Dave did a superb job. When they arrived two years ago, the team was lost. The structure we currently have, it is they who brought it.”
See also:
1705174801
#toxic #atmosphere #undermined #Oilers #start #season
